Last week I took off on a new adventure...... JAPAN! From the moment I landed I have been impressed. For a country that has a population of over 126 million people they haven't forgotten the little things that make society great.
When I arrived at the airport I was met with someone greeting me at the airport holding one of those signs with your name on. You know the ones, I have seen them before and wondered how you get them, now I know. From there the lady who was a lot smaller than me INSISTED that she take both my suitcase and hand luggage and wheel it outside where a taxi (or as I found out last they call it a limousine) was waiting. They loaded everything for me and then I was waved and bowed off and I was on my way to the hotel. The driver even made sure I was alright checking that the car was of comfortable temperature while I stared wide eyed at everything around me. I was the epitome of the typical tourist.
If that hadn't clued me into the service level in Japan then my arrival at the hotel cemented it. My bags were unloaded from the car and I was helped out of the car like I was royalty. It was then that I realised that I was not at home anymore. They helped me check in and then took my bags up to my room helping explain anything that I needed to know to make my stay painless along the way. They expected nothing extra for this, it is just their way.
For the last 9 days I have travelled to many different cities in Japan and it all remains the same. Everyone greets you in the morning, says hello when you walk into a shop and will go out of there way to be helpful if you ask for help. It doesn't bother them if you don't understand the language, most people know basic English and that is helpful. I have picked up a few words, enough to get by. It also hasn't mattered what time of day or night I have felt safe at all times. The tour I did helped get me where I needed to go, but even without it things haven't been hard.
The Japanese people have something special. No matter the age there is respect. There is no litter on there streets. Smokers have designated rooms to smoke in out of the public areas. There manners are an example of what the rest of the world should strive for and no matter what is happening they do everything to get the job done.
Yesterday I went on a day tour to Hiroshima. It rained the whole day and I was wet and cold for most of it. At the time I grumbled and complained about how I wasn't enjoying myself, however when I got back to my hotel room last night the thing that stuck in my head as I was unpacking my handbag to dry it out was that the tour guide who was with us spent the whole day with a smile on his face as he walked us through the city explaining the relevant historical information. He had no umbrella and was just as soaked as what I was, if not more so and he never complained once.
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| Atomic Bomb Dome (Hiroshima Peace Memorial) © Kristy Seelander 2016 |
The other thing that I love about this place is that no one cares if you are dining alone. As I sit here writing this I am 1 of about 10 people in this restaurant on my own. Each of us is reading, writing or listening to music and no one cares. They don't look down on you wondering why you would bother going out on your own like people sometimes do at home.
So Japan thank you for an amazing holiday. Thank you for reminding me that humanity and manners do still exist in everyday life somewhere in the world. I am impressed.
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| Japanese Garden - New Otani Hotel, Tokyo © Kristy Seelander 2016 |
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| Matsumoto Castle © Kristy Seelander 2016 |
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| Old Merchant Houses, Takayama © Kristy Seelander 2016 |
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| Kinkaku-ji, Kyoto © Kristy Seelander 2016 |
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| Toori Gates at Fushimi Inari-Taisha Shine, Kyoto © Kristy Seelander 2016 |
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